MAKEOVER CHALLENGES

Learn how you can achieve an eclectic modern living room style that oozes a relaxed and gathered vibe for around $100 with simple DIY projects.

Hallelujah, I finally finished – My eclectic modern living room is now a reality! Y’all, January has been a long month. Like many of you, we’ve had:

More snow days this month than we usually have in an entire year

A child with the flu

A child transitioning to a new school

The whole family (including the momma) coming down with norovirus

A birthday we planned for but had to cancel due to the norovirus

A child’s first travel dance competition

Enteryourchoiceofnaturaldisasterhere

BUT on the happy side, I’ve been participating in my second $100 Room Challenge, hosted by the lovely Erin of lemonslavendarandlaundry.com! The first time I participated we made over our powder room, but this time I took on a little bigger project. Myself and 38-other bloggers took part this go-round, and there is more before and after eye candy than you can even imagine – all for under $100! Be sure to check out all of the other participants completed projects at the end of this post.

Let’s take a quick look at “the before” before we move onto the afters, okay?

And now, the AFTER!

Are you screaming right now? Because I AM!

HOW YOU CAN HAVE AN ECLECTIC MODERN LIVING ROOM FOR UNDER $100

My living room make-over took a little more than a month to complete and all in total I spent $99.50 – how is THAT for sneaking in under the wire?!

Here are all the things I’d hoped to accomplish – and by some miracle of miracles, I completed them ALL! I haven’t blogged about them all yet, but we’ll get there. ☺

It looks like a lot, but in reality, not one project took any longer than a weekend. Below are the steps you can follow to bring about your Eclectic modern makeover and the costs associated – both mine and what your’s would be, assuming you are not the DIY material hoarder that I am.

ADD SHELVING

The shelving was by far my most significant expense, but it also has such an impact that it was worth the $70! Our room is very long and narrow. Having shelving at one end helps to balance the space – when the shelving is ample enough to do the job. The existing shelving was dark, too small, too short and overall, just wasn’t working. Not to mention, it was falling apart! My good friend April of Uncookiecutter.com and I collaborated to put together a set of plans for this shelving made almost entirely of plywood. It is open, streamlined and the perfect scale for the room. You’ll be amazed how easy they were to make – click here for the tutorial! For information on how I painted the faux metal finish onto the sides of the shelves, click here.

UPDATE YOUR COFFEE TABLE

My Cost: $30 for hairpin legsYour Cost: Around $46 for all materials (not including the coffee table)Time involved: A few days to remove and apply a new finish and for dry time.

For under $30 can bring an old, dated coffee table back to life. Any table in excellent shape and a removable top is a good candidate for this project. This particular table had a fun inlay that wasn’t even visible because of all of the dark stain.

The new coffee table is stunning! It’s sleek and modern, and the color is perfect for highlighting that inlay I love so much!

DIY SOME ARTWORK

My cost: $0Your cost: $10-$30Time involved: An afternoon or two

There are two significant art focal points in this room – a large print above the sofa and a gallery style display above the loveseat.

In both cases, the art displays were the perfect size for the room, but the art itself was dated and not in line with our current style. I’ll be sharing the details on both of these DIY art projects in the next week or so.

ADD COLOR TO YOUR FIREPLACE

My cost: $0
Your cost: $4 for a sample size of paint
Time involved: A half-day

GIVE YOUR LAMPS A MAKE-OVER

My Cost: $0 – I am a spray paint hoarderYour cost: $7 for two cans of spray paintTime involved: A few hours

I didn’t spend a lot of time outlining the lamp make-overs as I had a pretty long to-do list, but the long and short of it, you can completely transform a set of lamps with spray paint. This one looks brand new, even when placed in the same spot on the same console table! Never underestimate the power of spray paint.

FIX UP YOUR END TABLES

My cost: $0 – I had the chalk paint on handYour cost: $20 for paint, $25 for a thrifted console tableTime involved: A day

I decided to move my existing end tables in favor of something more functional – a console table that has lived many lives in my home.

With a new finish and painted door hardware, the console table is a much better scale for the room, and it has hidden storage! Sometimes what you have in a room isn’t working. Be open to moving things around your home to get the best fit and function. Do you spy the puppy in the corner? #Titophotobomb

The other end table I replaced with a ceramic garden stool that’s been floating around my house looking for a permanent home. It is red, but I decided not to change it – I like that it’s a little unexpected and not so matchy-match.

SHOP YOUR HOME FOR ACCENTS

My cost: $0Your cost: $0Time involved: As long as you’d like

Chances are you have some very eclectic things in your collection of all-the-things. Sometimes just moving a knick-knack a new location in your home can update the look of your room – for absolutely nothing!

Somehow a project that is met with all kinds of resistance and mayhem is that more satisfying when it’s completed. Such is the case with this $100 Eclectic Modern Living Room Make-over. It’s taken 10-years and many almost-make-overs to make this living room one I love – Now I never want to leave!

If you’re thinking a bold, colorfully painted brick fireplace may be just the focal point your room needs but are afraid to take the painting plunge, fear not. This painting project is one that is well worth the risk!

You guys, I’m SO excited about today’s post that I’m posting it early! If you follow along with me, you’ll know I’m currently smack-dab in the middle of the $100 Room Challenge, hosted by the talented Erin of Lemons, Lavender, and Laundry! So, it’s week four and I’m knee deep in sawdust and drills, trying to get my shelving unit finished in time! So far I’ve shared my plan, made a hairpin legged coffee table for less than $40, and came up with a new-to-me end table solution, leaving me with a to-do list with fewer things checked off than I’d like. However, we’re in the home stretch. And then, I decided to make things interesting by adding something to my list rather than subtracting – how about a painted brick fireplace makeover!

I knew when I started the living room that I’d need to do something with the painted brick fireplace.

The color and texture I’d painted years before just didn’t gel with the new design, and it was bugging me. It was time for something new, and I was thinking bold, blue and beautiful! At least until I started thinking about it.

When I decided to paint the fireplace, my first thought was to go big (and bold) or to go home. Then, I decided something light, something safe and something “grown-up” would give me more flexibility; sophisticated gray tones. I painted the entire fireplace front, but when I stood back and looked at it, it didn’t give me that feeling of glee I get when I walk into a room that is my idea of perfect. The gray was just okay – it had little impact on me at all, which is the exact opposite of what I wanted it to do. I wanted the fireplace to pop and immediately draw your eye, but instead, the feature just faded into the background.

TAKING A CHANCE

For a day or so, I just thought about what to do. My first idea to go bold and bright, cementing the fireplace as the focal point of the room – I was nervous that it wouldn’t work.

Finally, after stewing about it, I just went ahead and painted a section of bricks to see how it would look. That small part saturated with color.. it was something! Something colorful and beautiful and so not like anything I’ve seen.

The next thing I knew, I’d painted my brick fireplace blue. Yes, BLUE, and I LOVE IT! It makes me smile every time I walk in the room, and I’m so glad I followed my instincts. Not only is the fireplace more updated, but it’s also the focal point I was looking for, AND it’s the anchor that brings everything else together. I get this might not be everyone’s idea of perfect, but luckily I’m the only one who has to live here – and it makes my heart pitter-pat every time I see it!

For those of you thinking of taking your brick fireplace to a bolder place, here’s how I did it!

What you’ll do:

Before you start, give the brick a thorough cleaning with TSP or another non-sudsing household cleaner to ensure your paint adheres properly. Rinse and let dry. Tape off the edges for a clean look.

Use the spray paint on the inside of the fireplace. Dry.

I had already painted my fireplace so was able to skip priming. If your fireplace is unpainted, apply an oil-based primer, with a brush or paint roller. If using a roller, you’ll want one with a high nap for rough surfaces. Consider using the cheapest one you can find – brick is not kind to paintbrushes or rollers. Apply following the instructions on the paint can. Dry.

Apply your paint. It is easiest to use the small paint brush to cover the mortar lines and edges, then to go back with a 1″ brush to fill in. I needed one full coat of paint with a second touch-up coat. Behr paint is my FAVORITE for that reason – it has excellent almost one-coat coverage!

Remove your painter’s tape and enjoy the new look of your fireplace!

Whether you’re a seasoned decorator or home design is new to you, be bold with your choices. Take risks with paint – paint isn’t expensive or permanent, and it doesn’t require a tremendous amount of effort to apply – even on a fireplace! Take a chance on bringing your vision to life. Be fearless. What you will end up with is a home design that will be entirely you, with features that will make your heart pitter-pat every time you walk by!

Let’s take a quick look at our list of things to finish and our budget!

TO-DO LIST:

Update the coffee table

Give the lamps a make-over

Replace the end tables

Replace the large painting over the sofa with something more contemporary

“Build-in” the shelving

Update or add new accents and artwork throughout the room

* Paint the fireplace!

Still the same. Again, I had everything I needed – I LOVE it when that happens!

Budget:

Material

Cost

Hairpin Legs for table

$30

Total Remaining

$70

Remember, I’ll be back next week with another update – only two weeks to go! Need a refresher on where we started? Check here!

Update a thrift store console cabinet with chalk paint for an instant, new look!

Welcome back to the third week of the $100 Room Challenge, hosted by the lovely Erin of Lemons, Lavender, and Laundry! So, we’re halfway through this challenge, and so far all I’ve got to show for it is a great plan, a hairpin legged coffee table, and a lengthy to-do list with only a few things checked off! This week we’re checking a few more off. We’re talking end tables, or more specifically, console cabinets! Ready? Let’s go!

THE PROBLEM – SMALL END TABLES

In my original plan (and on my to-do list) I’d wanted to do something fun and different with our existing end tables. But when I got started, I realized the tables hadn’t been working for the past ten years, not for how they looked, but because they were too small, too short and had no storage. Soo.. instead of giving them a makeover, I took them out of the room which had NOT been in the original plan but made the most sense. Sometime’s it’s okay to go from three end tables to NO end tables!

THE SOLUTION – A CONSOLE CABINET!

“No end tables” wasn’t going to work either, but with just $70 to spend and shelves still to build, adding new tables isn’t an option. Thankfully, I’m a bit of a hoarder collector and have way too much stuff hanging around – like this adorable little console cabinet.

I purchased this cute console cabinet at a thrift store a few years ago for $25, brought it home and slapped some red paint on it. The design is somewhat farmhouse, which isn’t so much me, but at the time I was searching for my style and red is my favorite color! I loved the ample space for hidden storage, and before our foyer-makeover, the console cabinet held center court at the front door and held our winter hats and gloves.

Since then it’s been floating around my house searching for a purpose – at least until now!

The console cabinet had a whole lot going for it:

height

width

storage

The red paint and the farmhouse design had to go, but that was easy peasy to change.

FROM FARMHOUSE TO VINTAGE MODERN

I started out giving it a good cleaning. To change up the farmhouse design I flipped the doors over and relocated the hardware. Then, I gave it a coat of Rustoleum “Chalked” paint in Linen White.

Like most chalk finishes, this one doesn’t require a primer or any prep work, other than cleaning before applying. I like to have a can around the house pretty much all of the time! I followed up with a coat of Minwax Finishing Wax for protection.

I’ll add new hardware in the future, but for now, I gave the existing knobs a quick coat of gold metallic paint.

The console cabinet slid right into place and is just the right height and weight for our large roll arm sofa. The cabinet acts as both storage for remotes and our Wii U console, as well as an end table – multi-purpose is the best!

With a few fun accents from around the house, it’s the perfect side table for our new living room!

OTHER UPDATES

As for the other end table, I did some more shopping around the house. I picked up this ceramic garden stool for a steal many summers ago. It’s another piece that moves around the house from room to room, but I think it’s found a permanent home as well! At first, I was going to paint it cream but decided the red was just a little bit unexpected and will keep the room from looking too matchy-matchy.

I’ve managed to get a few other things done – The lamps might look a little different – I’ll be sharing more on those early next week.

3 months agoby knockitoffcrafterYes, those plates are pink! One of my favorite things to do during the holidays is to put together a fun and festive Christmas tablescape. This year it's all about modern vintage for me, with lots and lots of non-traditional Christmas color. I'm sharing all of my best DIY and repurposing ideas for the sparkliest of tables! Even better? Santa left y'all a gift! Even better than that? There are 26 OTHER tables to see as well! #christmastable#diy#pink#linkinprofile